Alfie and George

by Rachel Wells

  ‘Well, this better get sorted, Jon, or we’ll have no alternative.’

  ‘Right, I’ll call Matt and after work we can go and do a bit of a search.’

  It didn’t sound like much of a plan but at least it was something. I really didn’t want to be locked in the house – how would I help the lamppost cats or my families then?

  ‘George, stop that and come here,’ Claire shouted. She had been cleaning up after Jonathan left for work and George had taken the opportunity to play. Having recently discovered the cupboard where the plastic supermarket bags were kept, he had decided they were his favourite things. He had climbed into one now and was sliding all over the kitchen floor. Summer was chasing him and giggling, but Claire was cross.

  ‘It’s dangerous,’ she shouted. I knew it wasn’t, there were holes in the bag and he could definitely breathe, I wasn’t that neglectful a parent. Finally Claire caught him and removed him from the bag. ‘When Jonathan gets home I am getting him to childproof that cupboard, George. No more bags for you.’ George looked distraught. I made a mental note to tell him how much fun boxes could be later on. Claire looked flustered as she put George down on the floor and went to get Summer dressed. She was going out with Tash for the day with the kids, as they both had a day off work. Tash had had a date with the lovely Max last night so Claire wanted to hear all about it. I did too, but disappointingly I couldn’t go with them, although it did mean I could go and see Dustbin, with Tiger kitten-sitting for me.

  ‘I wish we could go out with them,’ George said.

  ‘Well, they won’t let us. It would mean stowing away in Summer’s pushchair or something,’ I mused as I strolled towards the living room, where I could watch the world go by through the window.

  ‘Bye, Alfie, bye George,’ Claire shouted later. I lay down on the sofa and thought about having a nap, before I suddenly sat up with a start. Something was wrong. I wasn’t sure what, or if I was imagining it, but something didn’t feel right. I went to find George. I searched the house, but couldn’t see him. I sighed, it was tiring but he kept playing hide and seek without telling me, which was beyond annoying. So I looked for him in all the places that he normally hid, but there was no sign of the mischievous little kitten. Once I was certain he wasn’t in the house, I went out. He might have snuck out while I was in the living room. Honestly, what kind of parent was I? I searched the garden, but he wasn’t there so, trying not to panic, I went to find Tiger. Thankfully she was in her front garden.

  ‘What do you mean “gone”?’ Tiger asked.

  ‘Claire went out and I can’t find him anywhere.’ Oh, this was so worrying. I felt a bolt of real fear as I thought of the lamppost cats. My George!

  ‘Are you sure you looked everywhere?’ asked Tiger. She looked panicked too.

  ‘Yes, of course, I checked and double-checked. You haven’t seen him?’ I was frantic.

  ‘No, Alfie, if he went out he didn’t come this way. Let’s check the park, he loves the park.’ Tiger was staying calm, something I was finding difficult. I felt an emotion I had never felt before: total fear. I was always a bit panicked when he was hiding, but in the house I was a little more confident. However, outside … anything could happen to him.

  ‘I told him never to go out without me!’ I knew I shouldn’t have taken my eyes off him, but then I didn’t expect him to be so irresponsible. Hadn’t I warned him about going out on his own? Of course I had – time and time again.

  Tiger and I were silent as we made our way to the park as quickly as possible. I had never felt fear like this before. He was still so young, and didn’t even really know how to cross roads on his own. There were dangers everywhere and I had taught him so much, but still, it wasn’t enough.

  He wasn’t there.

  I collapsed back at my house. I wanted to cry, my back legs ached from all the running and I still hadn’t found my boy. I couldn’t help but yowl.

  ‘Look, you wait here, Alfie, and I’ll go and see if the others have seen him.’ Tiger was distraught but was trying her best to hide it.

  ‘Tiger, I don’t know what I’d do without you.’

  ‘I’ll be quick,’ she said, and bounded off. I lay in the front garden and said a prayer to the god of cats to bring my boy home safely. We had checked the park, every tree, bush and flowerbed, anywhere he could possibly hide, but there was no sign. Where on earth could he be? I promised if he was brought back safely to me I would never take my eyes off him again, not for a minute. How could I have been so irresponsible?

  It felt like ages before Tiger came back. She looked downcast.

  ‘No sign. Oh goodness, now I’m beginning to really worry. Although if he had come outside, someone would have seen him. It doesn’t make sense,’ she said, and I had to agree with her. ‘Not even Salmon, and he’s been watching for ages. He said he saw Claire leave with the pushchair but nothing else. The other cats are all looking for him right now.’

  ‘What could have happened? It’s as if he’s just disappeared into thin air. What if the lamppost cats are something really bad and someone’s taken him?’ I was feeling so hysterical that I didn’t think I could breathe anymore.‘I can’t bear the idea that someone could have taken my boy.’

  ‘Oh, Alfie, I don’t know what to say—’ She stopped suddenly. ‘Look.’ I turned and saw Claire and Tash approaching. Claire was pushing Summer in her pushchair, and Elijah was walking next to them, holding his mum’s hand. I was flooded with relief as I saw, sitting bold as brass on Summer’s lap, George. I tried to slow my breathing down to a normal level as they approached us but my heart was still beating out of my chest.

  ‘Oh, Alfie, were you looking for George?’ Claire said as they reached us.‘The naughty little kitten stowed away in the pushchair, in my bag.’ She lifted George out.‘We were on our way to soft play but of course we couldn’t take him in. Now, George, stay here. We have to go back before the kids get mutinous.’ She shook her head, gave me a pat and left.

  When they’d gone, Tiger and I exchanged a glance.

  ‘Don’t ever do that to me again,’ I said crossly. I had never felt so cross and yet so relieved in my life.

  ‘Why?’

  ‘We were worried sick,’ Tiger added.‘George, you can’t just go with humans, and if you do then you need to tell Alfie.’

  ‘Why?’

  ‘Because we were worried and we love you, but at the moment I am very cross with you. What were you thinking?’ I didn’t want to scare him by telling him about the lamppost cats – he was too little for that – but he needed to be aware of the dangers. Parenting wasn’t as easy as it looked.

  ‘You said you’d like to go to hear about Tash and that man. And by the way, she had a lovely time, he took her to something called French restaurant, they drank something called champagne and they had a great evening, and they are going to see each other again but they’ve both agreed to take it slowly. Tash doesn’t know if she’s ready but actually she admitted she really did enjoy herself,’ said George.

  As much as I liked hearing this, I was still angry and scared. Although I was delighted for Tash, and it was brilliant that George had listened so well, I wasn’t going to tell him that.

  ‘I know I said I wanted to go but I also said that we couldn’t go. We just can’t go anywhere we fancy it, no matter how much we want to.’ I once stowed away in a bag and went all the way to the seaside with my families but I wasn’t going to tell George about that.‘It’s dangerous, it’s reckless and your mum and I were worried sick. Now you will go inside and stay there, and think about your behaviour,’ I said crossly.

  ‘But I’m sorry,’ George said, trying to look cute.

  ‘No, George, you need to be punished. Come on, inside now and never, ever go anywhere without telling me again.’

  I hustled him round the back, with Tiger following us. As I told George to get through the cat flap, Tiger hung back.

  ‘I’m so relieved,’ Tiger said. ‘The feelings I had whe
n he was missing were awful.’

  ‘I know, it was horrific, I really can’t begin to tell you.’

  ‘I think I understand. I love him too, you know.’

  ‘I know we’re his parents, and just like with my families, I’ve seen how parents worry and I totally understand it now. I worry enough about all my humans, but even that isn’t the same as the way I feel about George,’ I tried to explain.

  ‘Because he’s your kitten,’ Tiger said.‘Anyway, I’d better go and let the others know he’s safe, they’re probably still looking for him.’

  ‘Great. And Tiger …’

  ‘Yes?’

  ‘He’s not my kitten, he’s our kitten.’

  Tiger nuzzled me and left. I went inside to deal with our kitten feeling an odd cocktail of emotions.

  George behaved impeccably for the rest of the day. He didn’t go near anything he shouldn’t and he asked me before he did anything. I wished he could always be this good, although of course I’d probably miss his mischievous side just a tiny bit. When Summer came home, she grabbed George and took him upstairs to play dress up. After having to wear bonnets, scarfs and dolly dresses, I think he’d been punished enough. However, the idea that he could really go missing haunted me. I needed to get to the bottom of the cat mystery sooner rather than later.

  Chapter Twenty-four

  I knew I couldn’t wait any longer. That morning, after delivering George into Tiger’s care, I set off to see Dustbin. She was such a good mum, and I felt lucky to have her. Glancing back, I saw the two of them looking after me and I felt a pang in my heart. I needed to do this for all my friends, but especially Tiger and George. I went as fast as my legs would carry me, knowing the way and knowing what dangers to look out for – usually just cars and maybe the odd dog. I took the back route into Dustbin’s yard without too much trouble, feeling pleased with myself for making such quick time.

  ‘Hi, Alfie,’ Dustbin said.‘This is a pleasant surprise.’

  ‘Well, Dustbin, you might not feel that way when I tell you why I’m here.’ I filled him in on the latest developments.‘So it seems the lamppost cats might actually be more of a problem than we first thought. God forbid any more cats are in danger.’

  ‘Right, Alfie, sounds like we need to sort this out before it gets out of hand. I’ll go this afternoon and talk to my colleagues again and we’ll ramp up the urgency. I’m sure that between us we can get some information. In the meantime, you stay vigilant and let me know of any developments as soon as you can.’

  ‘I think I’ll set up a network here, so that when I can’t get to you I can send Tiger or something. I really do need to keep a close eye on George, I shudder to think anything might happen to him.’

  ‘Right, well, it might take a bit of time, but I’m on the case and I’ll come and find you if I have any news.’

  ‘But do you know where I live?’

  ‘Yes, I was interested once so I followed Tomasz.’ I raised my whiskers.

  ‘OK, so maybe I was being a bit nosey. I fancied seeing where you lived. I miss the boys by the way.’

  ‘Me too. I wish they’d come home. And I wish all the missing cats would get to go back to their homes too. Oh, Dustbin, I wish the lampposts were just lampposts again.’ My eyes were full of worry, but Dustbin, more than anyone, reassured me.

  Life has a funny way of turning round in circles; time passes, things change. One minute everyone’s sad, then they’re happy, and then, well, where do I start?

  Tash was over at ours when I got back from seeing Dustbin, gushing about Max, who she’d been on another date with. I couldn’t believe how happy she seemed. She’d come to realise that perhaps she had fallen out of love with Dave before he left her, without realising it, and although she was cautious, she was beginning to see that she deserved happiness. And as Claire said to her, you didn’t know when it would come along so you had to snatch it when you could. Also, because Max was a father himself, he understood her need to put Elijah first. I felt very hopeful although I did worry she would get hurt again. But I was a cat who worried about things, that was just what I did.

  ‘Anyway,’ Tash said,‘he’s great, puts no pressure on me at all. But you know, whatever happens, he’s made me see that I tried so hard to make the relationship with Dave work, whilst he did nothing. If I’m honest, I think having Elijah was my last-ditch attempt to save us. I don’t think I realised it at the time, but it does make sense.’

  ‘I had no idea,’ Claire said.

  ‘He was just so lazy. Anyway, I put up with him for so long and I really believed I loved him. Well, I did love him, but actually, he’s not worth it,’ said Tash as she watched Elijah eat his sandwich at the kitchen table. Summer was sitting opposite him, pulling her sandwich apart and dropping bits on the floor, where George was waiting, hoping it might be something he liked. Luckily for him, it was grated cheese. George loved cheese.

  ‘Summer, eat that – don’t drop it,’ Claire said, sounding exasperated. ‘Well, sometimes you lose something and you realise how much you miss it, and other times you lose something and realise that actually it wasn’t right in the first place.’

  ‘Was that what it was like with your first husband?’ Tash asked. I had never met Claire’s first husband. She moved here after they divorced and she was sad then.

  ‘He was a control freak and then, remember, I moved on to Joe who was the same only worse. I think with Dave, you were together so long you were used to him, you know, he was part of your life, you might not have seen that you weren’t actually happy.’

  ‘I think you’re right. But did you see it?’

  ‘Honestly? No. I mean I never really got to know him that well, and Jonathan was never overly keen, but then Jon’s ambitious and he doesn’t understand men who don’t have ambition.’

  ‘Dave didn’t, did he? I thought he was laid back but I didn’t realise how lazy he was. I worked twice as hard as him, I found the house, I did pretty much everything. Anyway, enough about me, what’s going on with you? Elijah, do you want some fruit?’ I marvelled at the way parents managed to have conversations but always seemed to remember what they needed to do for their children. I needed to learn that skill with George. Elijah nodded, and Claire handed Tash a banana.

  ‘Look,’ Claire said. She took an envelope out from behind the toaster and handed it to Tash.

  ‘What’s this?’ Tash took the letter out and read it.

  ‘But, Claire, that’s fantastic, you’ve been approved!’ Tash jumped up and hugged Claire.

  ‘Yes, we’ve been given the green light for adopting and the social worker said that if we’re willing to take an older child it won’t take as long. But, well, I haven’t told Jonathan yet.’

  ‘When did you get this letter?’ Tash asked.

  ‘Last week. I know it’s silly, but I want this more than anything, I don’t know how I’d feel if Jonathan said no.’

  ‘And you’re sure about taking care of an older child?’ Tash looked concerned, as did I.

  ‘Yes. Tash, I’m doing this for the right reasons and I’ve thought long and hard about that. I want Summer to have a sibling, and I want to add to our family. A baby isn’t realistic. We’re a bit older now and the waiting list is so long, Summer would probably be at university before we even got a baby.’ Claire looked thoughtful. I thought she was being optimistic: Summer at university? She was so bossy she’d probably be kicked out of school long before then.‘Anyway, we have a lovely home and a lot of love here, so any child would be welcome. And I hate to think of any kid not having a loving family, I really believe that this child needs us and we need them.’

  ‘That’s lovely, Claire.’

  ‘But the thing is that Jon is scared and I can’t seem to get through to him, so I just don’t know what to do.’

  I jumped onto the kitchen table. I wanted to tell Claire that if she was a bit more supportive as to how Jonathan felt, and told she him understood, yet explained why they would be su
ch great parents to any child, then he would come round. But how could I convey that? It seemed that she was on her road and he was on his and they didn’t seem to be going to the same place. I nudged Tash.

  ‘Claire, tell him you understand,’ she said, as if reading my mind.‘Do it gently.’

  ‘I railroad people, don’t I?’ Claire asked.

  ‘You do make up your mind and then go for it, which is great, and a real asset in so many ways and why we all love you, but in this case, maybe try a more gentle approach?’

  ‘I’ll try but I can’t promise. In my head I’m already decorating the spare room for him.’

  ‘It’s a boy?’

  ‘It would be a boy, yes, I just feel it.’ Claire laughed.‘I see what you mean.’

  I tried not to despair. She knew what to do but, being Claire, she wasn’t sure she could do it. I wanted another child here. I could see the value for all of us, and with the way I felt about George, I knew that adoption was a great, positive thing, but Claire needed to convince Jonathan, not tell him, and that was where I worried. If they couldn’t agree on this, then what would happen to them?

  Tash took Elijah home for a nap, and as Claire took Summer upstairs for hers, George and I went out. None of the cats seemed to be around so after playing with some leaves and chasing a fly we decided to go and see if Matt was in. I missed Polly on days like this, she and I hung out together quite a lot before she got her job, but I loved Matt too – it was just that these days he wasn’t quite as much fun.

  George and I headed through the cat flap and into Polly and Matt’s house. Imagine my surprise when we went to the living room and saw big Tomasz sitting in the armchair with Matt on the sofa. It had been ages since I’d seen Tomasz – since the rest of the family had gone on holiday – so I jumped up onto his lap and snuggled in. George sat at Matt’s feet.

  ‘Ah, our friends the cats,’ Tomasz said, making a fuss of me. I purred happily, it was so lovely to see him. ‘I know, I miss you too, Alfie,’ he said.‘And of course my wife and children.’